NZR Oc class
Encyclopedia
The OC class, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works
for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) in New Zealand
, consists of a solitary steam locomotive. Ordered in 1896 as an externally similar but more powerful version of the OA class
locomotive ordered in 1894, it entered service in June 1897 as No. 16. It was a Vauclain
compound locomotive
.
In 1908, the WMR and its locomotive fleet was purchased by the New Zealand Railways Department
(NZR) and incorporated into the national rail network
, and although No. 16 bore a likeness to members of the O class
, it was sufficiently different to warrant separate classification. Technical differences were sufficient that it was not classified with the visually similar WMR No. 13/NZR OA 457, and accordingly it became OC 458. It is known to have operated on the line from the Hutt Valley through the Rimutaka Range
to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline, and its final depot was at Cross Creek at the eastern end of the Rimutaka Incline in the Wairarapa
. It was withdrawn from service in July 1930.
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway (WMR) in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, consists of a solitary steam locomotive. Ordered in 1896 as an externally similar but more powerful version of the OA class
NZR Oa class
The OA class, built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Wellington and Manawatu Railway in New Zealand, consisted of a solitary steam locomotive. Ordered in 1894, it entered service in August of that year as No. 13 and was the first narrow gauge Vauclain compound in the world...
locomotive ordered in 1894, it entered service in June 1897 as No. 16. It was a Vauclain
Vauclain compound
The Vauclain compound was a type of compound steam locomotive that was briefly popular around 1900. Developed at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, it featured two pistons moving in parallel, driving a common crosshead and controlled by a common valve gear using a single, complex piston...
compound locomotive
Compound locomotive
A compound engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages.A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure cylinder, then having given up heat and losing pressure, it exhausts directly into one or more larger...
.
In 1908, the WMR and its locomotive fleet was purchased by the New Zealand Railways Department
New Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
(NZR) and incorporated into the national rail network
Rail transport in New Zealand
Rail transport in New Zealand consists of a network of gauge railway lines in both the North and South Islands. Rail services are focused primarily on freight, particularly bulk freight, with limited passenger services on some lines...
, and although No. 16 bore a likeness to members of the O class
NZR O class
The O class consisted of six steam locomotives that operated on New Zealand's national rail network. Ordered from the Baldwin Locomotive Works of Pennsylvania in 1885, three arrived in time to begin work in December 1885, while two more were placed in service in January 1886 and the sixth in...
, it was sufficiently different to warrant separate classification. Technical differences were sufficient that it was not classified with the visually similar WMR No. 13/NZR OA 457, and accordingly it became OC 458. It is known to have operated on the line from the Hutt Valley through the Rimutaka Range
Rimutaka Range
The Rimutaka Range is one of several mountain ranges in the North Island of New Zealand which form a ridge running parallel with the east coast of the island between East Cape and Wellington.The ridge is at its most pronounced in the southern part of the island, where it consists of the Ruahine,...
to the western end of the Rimutaka Incline, and its final depot was at Cross Creek at the eastern end of the Rimutaka Incline in the Wairarapa
Wairarapa
Wairarapa is a geographical region of New Zealand. It occupies the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service towns, with Masterton being the largest...
. It was withdrawn from service in July 1930.
